pot-bound

adjective

ˈpät-ˌbau̇nd 

variants or pot bound or potbound

of a potted plant

: having roots formed into a dense, tangled mass that encircles the inside of a container and that allows little or no space for further growth : root-bound

Examine the root system of container plants carefully to make certain that the plant has not become pot-bound. If it has, the roots will have circled around the inside of the pot and will be a solid, entangled mass.

—Robert Emmerich et al.

Grow several bulbs in one pot so they remain potbound.

—Joan Lee Faust

Examples of pot-bound in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If your houseplant was severely pot-bound with encircling roots, trim the overgrown roots back by one-third. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2026

If the perennial is pot-bound, loosen the roots around the bottom and sides of the root ball and spread them out in the bottom of the planting hole. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2025

This is no different than the care for other indoor plants, but because palms are quite tolerant of being pot-bound for a while, gardeners may forget that the potting mix is deteriorating over time and should be refreshed periodically. — Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 4 Jan. 2024

For example, their roots may be pot-bound and they may not have been consistently watered. — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pot-bound

• abound
• aground
• around
• astound
• background
• campground
• clothbound
• confound
• earthbound
• eastbound
• expound
• fairground